Idol Chatter

What “Passion” Effect?

Remember how “The Passion of the Christ” was supposed to be a wet smack in the face for those jaded sybarites of Hollywood/Babylon? How church basements, not focus groups, would be the new proving ground for America’s blockbusters? After the success of Mel Gibson’s thanato-pic, the theory went, the suits on Melrose would finally get it, and they’d greenlight a host of imitators, full of spiritual intensity and religious relevance.

If today’s Oscar nominations are any measure, it’s clear that Hollywood still doesn’t get it. If Mel were handing out the awards instead of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences–call them the “Mels” instead of the Oscars–which of the current crop of nominees would win big? “Brokeback Mountain,” in which two cowboys get it on in the heart of Red America? “Capote,” in which an effete New York writer seduces a murderer to tell him his tale in ghastly detail, and then roots for the dead man walking to hang for the sake of book sales? Spielberg’s ambivalent take on the events of Munich in 1972?

The Oscar nominations, of course, may not be an adequate measure. “The Passion,” after all, didn’t get a nomination either. But if Gibson’s film has a legacy at all, we’re still waiting for it to show up somewhere in Hollywood. Even the one spiritual film of the year, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” neither sought nor got prior approval from the evangelical Christian community that Gibson rallied before going wide with “TPOTC.”

We Bid Farewell to Leonard NimoyFriday, February 27th Leonard Nimoy, famously known for his role as Spock in the infamous Star Trek series, passed away at the age of 83. His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, stating that the cause was the end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Nimoy publicly announced last

Get a First Look at A.D. The Bible ContinuesThis Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2015, join millions of viewers for the premiere of A.D. The Bible Continues and continue on a 12-week journey through what would become the most powerful global movement in history – the rise of the Church.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-6U-BteVyQ&

‘Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!’Faster than you can say: ‘Hey! Ho! Let’s go!,’ self-taught drummer Marky Ramone continues to rock out his legacy as the last member of the most iconic punk bands in history. In his book, Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone, Marky gives an account of the punk scene in the 1970s, a look